Images Of Wounded Symoblize Boston Tragedy

Images Of Wounded Symoblize Boston Tragedy

The heartbreaking photo of a wounded woman has come to symbolize the tragedy of the Boston Marathon, and the story behind it is just as devastating.

Her name is Nicole Gross. A happy photo taken before the marathon shows her with her sister, Erica, and their mom, Carol. Their mom came to Boston to run the race, and the sisters were there to cheer her on. They were standing near the finish line, eager to cheer for mom, when tragedy struck.

In a heartbeat, joy turned to horror as Nicole, a personal trainer from North Carolina was blasted to the ground by the bomb. Her husband, Michael, was also wounded. But it was Erica who caught the worst of it and lost a leg.

Another woman's sorrow knows no bounds. She's the mother of Krystle Campbell, a restaurant manager who was killed by the bomb.

At first, Patty Campbell had been told her daughter was only wounded. But the wounded woman turned out to be Krystle's friend who was watching the race with her. Krystle's mom learned the terrible truth at the hospital.

Another iconic image from the marathon: a wounded spectator named Jeff Bauman, who lost both his legs. An heroic man in the cowboy hat, was photographed putting a tourniquet on Bauman's leg. His name is Carlos Arredondo, a peace activist whose son, a Marine, was killed in Iraq in 2004.

When the bombs went off, Arredondo ran to help Jeff Bauman, later recalling: "I went down to the ground to comfort him."

And we're learning more about littlest victim, Martin Richard, and what impelled him to create that heartbreaking poster reading: "No more hurting people. Peace."

It seems Martin was deeply affected by the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, and made the poster in response to that tragedy.

Now, little Martin's poster has become a worldwide symbol of a cry for hope in these troubled times.